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Cheers to the extra long weekend! This short week had us trying to blow through our CSA produce (past and present). I was also silly enough to accept 10lb of cherries last weekend and I’ve been occupying myself with jams and pies ever since.

On the CSA front I’m slightly produced out and my vegetable creativity went straight out the window.

Good thing I’m off to America this weekend where all I’ll be eating is Chobani, Justin’s PB, and food that can be cooked on a campfire. ooof.

We camp by way of tenting so I chose a nice grassy site on the Manitoba Parks Reservation Service. They actually have photos of most sites that I tried to look at in several of the Whiteshell campgrounds and it was this feature that helped me choose the campground.

While the campsite was perfect we found the campground to be close to the highway. We couldn’t see it, but we could definitely hear the semi-trucks zoom by at all hours. The park did have some great amenities: we did like how there was a semi-private beach that was mainly for campground guests and they also had a nice big grassy area where you could play frisbee, catch, or just lie in the sun.

The campground was also close to Falcon Beach (yes, the Falcon Beach the failed Canadian TV show was named after) – perfect for picking up groceries, firewood, or a meal.

I don’t think we would camp at Falcon Lakeshore again just because of the proximity to the highway however, I do think it’s a great campground if you are travelling with kids and/or in an RV and are looking for lots of options for things to do while camping.

Let’s chat – Do you like camping? Have you been to Falcon Lakeshore before?

They say you have to get a little uncomfortable before you can learn and grow, so that’s what I’m doing both on the blog and off. On the blog I’m writing a bit more about my fitness goals and activities and off the blog I’m teaming up with GoodLife Fitness to challenge myself for 3-months to be the best me possible.

To kick off my 3-month challenge with GoodLife I started off with orientation at the club, which was very helpful as I’d never been to GoodLife before. We set some goals for the upcoming three months which centre around ‘Changing Things Up”:

Try all the classes GoodLife offers

Work cardio into my routine in ways other than running

Incorporate new strength training moves into my routine

I then went through LifeChanger consultation where an individual walked me though the LifeChanger software and did a basic health and lifestyle assessment.

Went over 4 pillars of health: nutrition, exercise, sleep, and stress (love how they include all 4 – you can’t have good health if you’re mismanaging a pillar!), she checked some of my vitality signs and body composition (think measurements and blood pressure), and she took a look at some of my functional movements (think proper form).

Once everything was said and done a report was generated that contained all the information collected including some of the goals we made during the session and my current health age, which is 32…oy.

I look forward to stepping out of my comfort zone in the next three months and changing things up with GoodLife Fitness. I also want to send a big thank you to Amy & Bailey at GoodLife Portage & Main for the smooth transition into the club!

Let’s Chat – Who’s ready to BodyPump with me!?

Disclaimer: I received a complementary 3-month pass to GoodLife Fitness so that I could take part in this challenge. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Mr A and I finally had the opportunity to visit Vera on South Osborne for some pizza. Vera, which means real or true in Italian is a fantastic word to describe everything about the place.

Rain was impending so we decided to sit inside. The place was bright and full of lots of natural lighting and had numerous pieces of artwork lining the walls.

We started off our food adventure with a huge mixed green salad filled with lots of veggies and topped with a lemon balsamic dressing. The dressing was AMAZING – the lemon added a wonderful brightness to the salad. I can’t believe I typed that, but it’s totally true.

For our mains we both ordered a pizza – for Mr A, a calabrese piccante and for myself traditional margherita. They were both delicious (of course we shared!) and the crust was the perfect thin-chewy you want in a Neapolitan style pizza.

I loved everything about this place and I would go back to Vera in a heartbeat. The staff was wonderful, the food was delicious and well priced, and the atmosphere was very welcoming. If you’re looking for a new pizza place in Winnipeg you should absolutely try Vera.

Welcome to week 1 of our CSA basket! We started out the season a little late due to some colder weather during the beginning of the growing season and some wild storms that wreaked havoc on the little plants. I’m happy to report that things are turning up and we received our first basket last Friday!

Week 1 turned out to be a very pretty basket (although I’m sure they all will be) and it became the star of the series appearing in the header photo. woop woop. Now, let’s get started with the contents!

What was in the basket?

Bok choy

Mustard greens

Spinach

Rhubarb

Green onions

Radishes

Dill

How did we use the items this week?

Bok choy – sautéed with garlic and butter for a dinner side dish

Mustard greens – Boy did these guys have bite! We ate them raw and I also shared them with my colleagues.

Spinach – Added to pitas, salads, sandwiches, and smoothies.

Rhubarb – Chopped and frozen for use in the future.

Green onions – Added to pitas + still have some left over.

Radishes – Ate on their own + still have some left over.

Dill – Chopped and frozen for use in the future/over time.

What were some challenges/successes?

Challenges

Picking up the basket on the right day – apparently my Gmail spam filters went a little off

Working through traditional salad vegetables (radishes + green onions) – we don’t eat salads that often, but it looks like we’re going to have to start!

Successes

Dealing with produce that was planned to be frozen right away

Making a list of all the CSA items we got to put on the fridge so we know what we have left to eat.

Let’s chat – What can I do with mustard greens!? Anyone else like eating radishes by themselves and raw?